By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The former UDP chairman for Sanimentereng Constituency Lamin Darboe and 79 other individuals declared their allegiance to the NPP on Sunday.
NPP bigwigs and rank and file converged at the party’s regional bureau in Brikama over the weekend to formally welcome the former UDP constituency chairman and other high-profile defectors to the party’s ranks.
The defection of Darboe and other former UDP members came barely a month after the Gambia’s largest opposition party suffered yet another major political loss in the resignation from the party of its former campaign manager Momodou Sabally. Sabally went to the NPP in tow with his sister, who also wielded huge influence, in the UDP.
According to NPP officials, the ruling party is implementing a strategy of mass mobilization through persuasion.
In welcoming the new NPP members, the Campaign Manager of the NPP, Lamin Cham, said: “Today is a day of rejoicing for the NPP. I could remember the saying of my boss, President Adama Barrow, in 2016 that a boat has anchored and that anyone, who disembarked on the boatwould be saved and anyone who refused to jump on the boat would be swept away by tidal waves. I think the same boat has berthed again. Any peace-loving individual and anyone who loves the country, come and embark on the boat.”
CM Cham welcomed the defectors to the NPP and urged them to feel at home.
“Now, we are all equal in the NPP. The only area where we can be better than each other is in our endeavors for the party. I, therefore, urge you… Lamin…to work with the NPP constituency chairman Yankuba Sano to dialogue with the remaining UDP supporters in Sanimentereng constituency. I know that many have accepted the NPP but what’s left is to dialogue with them. I tasked you [Lamin] with that assignment today because if you don’t go after some people, they can’t come for themselves,” he stated.
According to CM Cham, the NPP is akin to the PPP.
“PPP was an inclusive party. All tribes and regions were reflected in the party and their leader was very accommodating. When you look at the NPP and President Barrow, we can say he is an equivalent of Jawara. He is accommodating and like Jawara, you can say anything about him and he will tolerate it. People insult President Barrow without any backlash from him,” Cham asserted.
“When you look at the political parties in this country, NPP is very diverse. It has all tribes. No one tribe can claim ownership of the NPP. Then NPP is the party of all Gambians. Consider NPP as a party of all tribes, regions, genders, and demographics,” he added.
He asserted that the NPP will be enduring.
“I can tell you Lamin [former UDP campaign manager] that the NPP rule would be enduring in this country. If you want to be part of the government, come and join the NPP. If not, your hair will grow grey and you will never be part of the government,” the NPP chief mobilizer stated.